The present invention relates to an inflatable and removable keel for inflatable rubber boats.
As is known, because of stability and directionality reasons, some inflatable rubber boats, in particular those driven by an outboard motor, are provided with an open V-shaped bottom. This shape is obtained by means of an additional inflatable body, improperly called a "keel", which is interposed between the rubber boat dunnage and bottom sheet. These keels consist of a variable cross-section rectilinear bladder. According to an embodiment thereof these keels are removable and are threaded into a longitudinal pocket rigid with the bottom sheet. Such a solution is affected by some drawbacks. In fact, the pocket involves a useless material waste and requires great labor for the introduction of the keel, especially in the case of repair work on said keel.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable keel in which the above-mentioned drawbacks are overcome and, in addition, is easy to be repaired and removed.